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    Kenka

    3.6 (1.8k reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Japanese
    Closed 5:00 pm - 3:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

    Kenka Photos

    Business Info

    KENKA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Kenka

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    Reviews With Photos

    Sashimi deluxe
    Paul K.

    It was a 20 minute wait for 2 people on president's day weekend Sunday. It was my first time here, though I've been wanting to go because it was advertised as a cheap restaurant for drinks and food. The prices did not disappoint. Draft Japanese beers for $1.50, pitchers for $8, foods generally below $15. This place has some caveats that I was not made aware of until the time of: there is a 90 min time limit and they will bring you the check once the limit is up, limit of 2 $1.50 draft beers for each person (during the 90 mins), absolutely no seating until everyone in the party is present, no additions of people after being seated. That being said the food was surprisingly good for the price, but don't expect high-end restaurant grade food. I would definitely come again, highly recommended for cheap eats and drinks. The host that received us, Hiro, was very friendly.

    Yakitori Combination
    Jaclyn P.

    If the rating was solely based on fun I'd give it 5 stars for the vibes and $8 pitchers!!!! Such a cool spot to hang out and chat and drink while feeling like you're at a lil restaurant in Tokyo. If you're really hungry I'd suggest eating beforehand as all our food came cold and a significant while after ordering. Some didn't come at all :( they also don't have ponzu so don't expect to dip your yakitori in it. The servers are nice but also in no hurry so just get ya pitchers and carry on with your conversation, cause you're gonna be there awhile. The cotton candy at the end is also so cool. Would recommend everyone to come here at least once just for the experience :)

    Colin C.

    I wanted to try this place so bad when I came to visit and I'm glad I did. Feels like a classic after-work spot in Japan with impeccable decor and ambiance and classic Japanese dishes that are hard to find such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki. With $1.50 draft Sapporos, I could see myself getting absolutely messy and belligerent here. The house cocktails were also great and priced well. I love a restaurant with a lot of small bites because I get to try as much as I can. The funniest part of the whole experience was our host who gave us so much attitude and was not nice at all but I kinda loved it. It added to the chaotic energy.

    squid legs
    Joann S.

    Good drinking place! Great ambiance. Cool decoration. Lively atmosphere. Not for a full meal.

    Lina L.

    A pitcher of Sapporo for $8?? In Manhattan?? I genuinely thought it was a typo until it showed up at the table, cold, foamy, and glorious. I've paid more for a sad pour of beer at a concert, and this place out here serving entire pitchers like it's still 2010. The food is pretty good. Surprisingly flavorful, ridiculously affordable, and way better than it needs to be at this price point. We got a bunch of small plates and left full and happy. The vibe is chaotic. It's loud, it's cramped, and it's absolutely perfect for messy, cheap nights with friends. If you know, you know. And now you know. Bonus: you get cotton candy after your meal, which you can make outside!

    Em R.

    Came here for dinner last night with friends. There is a waiting list outside, the wait wasn't too bad. It was very busy, food did come out quick. Food and service were ok. I don't think there was a stand out dish for me, the yakitori combination plate was dry and tasteless, the squid was very rubbery, the onigiri didn't have a lot of salmon inside, the croquettes were average. Place is definitely affordable for big groups. Interesting decor. Don't think I'll be back.

    Bar
    Hank C.

    Cool Japan-centric theme with a weird dominatrix doll in a display area, and walls with weird decor, and crazy vintage Asian music and art and more at this izakaya spot, lots of small dishes to share and try - menu has a lot of pictures and items, and they're a bit old and falling apart. Stairs down - not sure this is handicap friendly at all. Tiny low ceiling, low light. Line can take a while with bigger parties - for 2, it was quick. Liked the miso ramen but it was salty. The pan-fried pork with kimchi was just right, not spicy. They were out of the whole squid; squid legs were a bit tasteless and rubbery as food goes. Tako wasabi was excellent, good size. Took forever and a day to get the agedashi tofu (came after our bill, actually). Cheap beer ($1.50!) and the sashimi Moriawase Deluxe was a nice sashimi and salad plate. Little cup of sugar for you to go out to the front and make a small cotton candy for yourself afterwards, too. Service - like I said, delayed dishes, hard to find someone to order from and the guy was better than the girl who was just not happy at being there, I think... but food was a fun mix of Japanese small bites. Will have to try the fried chicken and gyoza here next time. Food - great bites here and there. Service - meh. Cost - very reasonable. I'll be back!

    Audrey R.

    There's no way you're gonna look at this platter and tell me that my meal at Kenka was in anyway forgettable - this little basement restaurant had a line wrapped around the corner for good reason. the prices are unheard of especially for a spot on St Mark's place. we had a table of four and got a pitcher of beer and multiple things to eat each and it was an $80 bill. even as a non beer drinker I have to shout out a $8 pitcher of Sapporo - there are so many yakitori options so anyone in their right mind would get the $25 sampler platter. it came with four different types of meat: succulent herby bbq chicken, the softest melt in your mouth meatballs, salty chewy pork, and....nasty flavorless hard squid. three out of four seems like a pretty good win considering the chicken is a double portion. - the menu is massive with photos for every item in a collage sort of format. it's hard to tell what you're getting but you get the idea you can't really go wrong. we got the katsu over rice and the chicken was light and crispy sitting on a bed of moist rice with a light salty sweet sauce. - the Katsu curry was a solid portion for 10 bucks with the same crispy light chicken in a rich curry sauce! def recommend - they have $6-8 sushimi that despite the price isn't sus at all. we split items so couldn't try the ramen options but saw all the steaming fat bowls of noodles heading to every other table - the whole restaurant is filled with bizarre art of anime and nude photos. the tables are all tiny and go up to about your knee. you feel like you're sitting in a doll set. this is such a unique experience and a great place to take out of towners to show them New York's true personality. at the end of your meal, you get little pots of sugar to go make your own cotton candy in their machine outside!

    Free cotton candy given after meal. Storefront as well can be hard to miss
    Quyen H.

    WOW! It's mandatory for me to visit Kenka with friends everytime I'm in the city. $1.50 draft beers, $8.50 pitchers a lively ambiance of younger crowd to start the night! A very extensive menu so there's something for everyone to enjoy with dishes being under $12 mostly. Right when you step in, it feels like you're taken back to Japan, friendly fast service as well. If you do mind a wait go right when they open at 5 pm and add your name on the list! I've never waited more than 20 minutes during the first hour of opening.

    Bea R.

    TL;DR Go for the izakaya ambiance. Prices are low, but quality isn't high. Order up and share plates/drinks. Kenka, located in NYC's East Village, is a pub serving both traditional and modern Japanese cuisine. While walking through St. Mark's Place, the crowd of people gathered at the entrance caught our eyes. We decided to give it a try! There's a clipboard at the front for you to write your name down on the waitlist. Weekends are PACKED, so be prepared. The first notable thing I have to say about this place is that the decor and ambiance are spot on. The entire restaurant is decorated head to toe in Japanese memorabilia. You will really feel like you were transported to an izakaya in Japan. It's loud, a bit rowdy, and very dark in there. Actually, a bit too dark because we were struggling to read the menu. It was also FREEEEEZING COLD... I don't know why they didn't have their heaters blasting on a 15 degree day. Wild. Anyway... we squinted our eyes in the dark as hard as we could to look through the menu. There's a large variety of dishes to choose from, ranging from street-style food to sushi to noodles to grilled meats to seafood to desserts and so on. They also have a full drinks menu with sake, beer, wine, ramune, and milk teas, so you can drink your heart away. Prices are SURPRISINGLY CHEAP! You can definitely order and share a bunch of items tapas style. We ordered: *Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) with curry and rice $9.50 - I was disappointed in this. The breading wasn't crispy or flaky enough and the pork wasn't that tender. I've had much better. The curry was good though; it had the right amount of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors. *Yakisoba (stir-fried noodles with pork, squid, vegetables) $8.50 - Skimpy portions of meat and too many vegetables for my liking. They chopped up the squid in pieces that were so small... The noodles were decent, but nothing to rave about. *Miso Ramen $9 - My +1 liked this and finished the whole bowl. *(2) Sake (Japanese rice wine) $9 each - We both got the Junmai sake. This was actually the highlight of the meal! It was strong and refreshing, but went down smoothly with a dry finish. Overall, the food was average and was just enough to fill our bellies when we were starving. The cheap prices made up for it. Service could have been improved. It took awhile for someone to come over to our table once we sat down. Our server didn't introduce himself and wasn't very attentive throughout the dinner. After we placed our initial order, we didn't see him until it was time for the check. I understand that they're super busy, but that doesn't excuse lackluster or poor service. When we got the check, we were also given small cups of these pink powder mixes. We had NO IDEA what this was... we even googled it lol. We wanted to wait and ask our server, but didn't want to be stuck waiting there in the cold restaurant any longer. It wasn't until I did my research later on... The pink powder they give you is a COTTON CANDY MIX! They have a machine at the front of the restaurant where you can make your own for free. That's such a cute idea and a sweet way to end a meal. I wish they would have just told us because we would never have figured it out. Oh well.

    Gyoza & Kimchee
    Amanda D.

    I have been coming here for at least 10 years, you'll never have 5 star service here but you will always leave with a smile on your face after having a great time. Be prepared to wait, people start lining up for 30 mins before opening most days. First come, first serve and most people that come, come in big groups. Drinks are cheap, their house cold sake is pretty good. The beer flights are such a steal! For food, anything fried will be great, we always love to try something new, everyone orders one thing and we all share. Plates range from $5-$12 for most. I don't know if their kimchi is house made but I will go through at least 2 bowls myself. For ambiance, the decor looks like someone had an acid infused dream about Asia and decorated it as such. Do not bring your grandmother, she will be in shock

    Shiny C.

    As someone who lives in SoCal, I don't know any other place that serves alcohol for $1.50 (and if you do, please let me know where)! Kenka is a pretty cool Japanese-themed izakaya/bar with an extensive menu and several alcohol options. The menu can be quite hard to read though, but it's part of the ~experience~. My friends and I came here on a Friday night and it was poppin with a line out the door. I'm assuming it's not as crowded during the week, but I can see why it can get busy on weekend nights when everyone is going out to drink. My group was on the smaller side (there were only 3 of us) so we got seated fairly quickly, before any of the larger parties in front of us were able to be seated. So if you're coming with a large group, I recommend coming earlier in the night or be prepared to wait a bit. They sell beer for $1.50, which is a crazy cheap price in my opinion. I'm not a big fan of beer though, so I got one of the soju cocktails, which range from $5-$6.50 (which is still a huge steal). I got it with the lychee soda base and it doesn't taste like there's alcohol in there at all, but a few sips got me buzzed very quickly. Perfect for a girl who likes to get drunk but hates the taste of alcohol. We were told some "requirement" about ordering but we couldn't quite understand since it was so loud, so maybe you have to order above a certain price point or order food? Either way, we got another lychee soda cocktail as well as fried squid. The squid was pretty good as it wasn't your typical fried calamari but more of a Japanese-style squid which I really like. I think their biggest selling point is how cheap the alcohol is here, so I would say come here for the drinks and order something small as a snack if you have to get food.

    Omurice. Hardly authentic
    Cristopher R.

    I really wanted to like this place but the service was unforgivable. Me and my partner ordered at the same time. They brought my omurice, and they never brought her order. We waited like 40 minutes before we we asked. "It must have gotten lost" is what they said. Really? We waited like another 20 before we both finally had our food on the table. The omurice isn't even real omurice by the way. They simply put egg over rice. Not what the dish calls for. Also we asked for a compensatory beer pitcher for the egregious experience we been having and i'm pretty sure we got charged for that in the end too. Goodbye.

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    Page 1 of 45

    Kenka Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Kenka

    Do you have a table that fits 7 to 8 people?

    Yes, they have some bigger tables in the back where they can combine and put you together - but it will take some time to wait on tables.

    Anyone know if there are fish and peanut allergy friendly things on the menu?

    Make sure you tell the server when you order. Last time we were there, they asked if there were any allergies

    How much is the beer tower? Does anyone know?

    About $30! They have $1.50 Sapporo's which come out to the better deal

    How busy is it on a Sunday during the summer at around 6-7pm when the restaurant first opens?

    It's not that busy but later during the night you'll be experiencing really long wait times depending on your group size, hope this helps!

    Do you have to be 21+?

    No, they ask if you will be drinking before they bring you to the table and check id but I went just for food

    Can this restaurant fit 11 people?

    It can but it would be tight. The tables and chairs are movable.

    Does ID matters if I dont drink?

    No. They check your ID at the door only if you say you'll be drinking.

    How can I make a reservation?

    You can't, it's first come first serve with a list to keep track of the waiting list

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    Momoya

    Momoya

    4.1(893 reviews)
    1.0 miChelsea
    $$

    I had been to Momoya on the Upper West Side before, but this was my first visit to the Chelsea…read morelocation. The atmosphere here was a bit more lively and crowded compared to the more relaxed vibe of the UWS spot. I enjoyed my meal even more this time around. I started with the beet salad, which was delicious and offered great value given the generous portion size. it featured sliced beets, arugula, goat cheese, and walnuts. I also had my eye on the hijiki soybean salad--which is a bit smaller and reportedly homemade--so I may try that next time, along with the warm mushroom salad which looked very tasty. The edamame was standard but served as a nice starter. For my main rolls, I chose the salmon avocado and the yellowtail scallion. Both were very fresh and definitely worth ordering again. The salmon avocado roll had a nice touch of sesame seeds on the rice, while the yellowtail scallion was prepared with the seaweed on the outside. My boyfriend's sushi entree looked excellent, so I am considering that or the sushi-sashimi combo for my next visit. The entrees provide a substantial amount of food, and I especially appreciate that they allow you to choose which roll comes with your meal.

    I love love LOVE this place! Always the freshest sushi, the most exquisite service. They don't…read morehound you like some other places on the area. They are always respectable, listen to your needs, help you find whatever you need. 10 out of 10 best food in the neighborhood. I always come here for the sea urchin and salmon roe/caviar - and it has yet to be beat. It's so good! One of my neighborhood favorites, I come here so often just for the combination of service, quality, and taste. My servers are usually Denise and Toshi and they are always on top of their game. I love it here! Will definitely keep coming back, just for their (excellent) service alone. Highly recommend.

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    Momoya - Inside

    Inside

    Momoya - Chirashi Lunch

    Chirashi Lunch

    Momoya - Dessert

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    Dessert

    Sanyuu West

    Sanyuu West

    4.5(161 reviews)
    1.0 miChelsea
    $$$$

    The last time I was in NYC I grabbed two omakase and one Everything don from Shinn East, so figured…read morethis time I might as well try their sister restaurant, Sanyuu West! They share a takeout menu and it's super easy to order--text what you want to the phone number on the website and pickup in ~20 minutes :). You pay on a handheld and they don't ask for tip for takeout. I love this process and truly wish more sushi restaurants in LA adopt the takeout box. The only one I know of is hefty but also $200 each lol, making Sanyuu's $69 omakase and $78 Everything don, not to mention the $30 giant salmon nigiri set, A STEAL! I enjoyed most of the pieces but I will say I don't like their amaebi or uni at all. I'm not sure what kind of uni is used here but it's the type with a very strong mineral flavor & aftertaste that I don't find enjoyable. We're spoiled by easy access to live spot prawns everywhere and fresh SB uni. Despite this, I wouldn't hesitate to come back if I lived in the city.

    Came for takeout and got the Salmon Set which includes 8 huuuuge salmon nigiri for $30. You'll…read moredefinitely want to share this one. The slices aren't thin, delicate, and melt-in-your-mouth as one usually gets in a sit down; they are extra thick, and I had to really bite down on some of the pieces. The rice was nicely seasoned and was cooked well + portions are also big to match those thiccccc salmon slices. To be honest, I was getting a little nauseated after 5 pieces, haha~ They were definitely delicious but I'd probably just eat 3 or 4 pieces and share with a friend! It was easy to text the number on the website and coordinate a pickup time, and the staff was friendly when I arrived. The restaurant is a little hard to find as the windows are blinded and the sign is a piece of paper on the door.

    Photos
    Sanyuu West
    Sanyuu West - (@joeynht)

    (@joeynht)

    Sanyuu West - (@joeynht)

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    (@joeynht)

    Izakaya MEW - Salmon Carpaccio

    Izakaya MEW

    4.3(3.3k reviews)
    1.5 miMidtown West
    $$

    This is what dreams are made. Quality fish, so much flavor, unique and creative dishes. The…read morerestaurant is so unassuming, as it's downstairs in a building, the sign is modest, but when we entered it was filled with locals. A good sign! Started with miso, seaweed salad. The miso was so flavorful! Gyoza, light and absolutely delicious Yellowtail carpaccio- the sauce I could drink it, so good! They only had 4 rolls on the menu so we got one of each, and let me tell you, best rolls I've ever had, each one was unique and different, and amazing! We also shared a pork belly bowl and a una don (eel) bowl, and again both were incredible. Perfectly cooked eel and pork belly, the sauce on both, delicious, and the rice!!! The rice is like crack, soft and sweet, like nothing I've ever had. I'm from out of state, but let me tell you, I will eat here every time I come to NYC!

    Came here for dinner right before a concert. The restaurant was lively and packed, but we had a…read morereservation (which I highly recommend doing!) Got the following dishes: - Hotate (seared scallop) carpaccio (4.5/5) - Chicken nanban (3.5/5) - Kimchi cream udon (4/5) - Mew special roll (4.5/5) - Mochi ice cream (3.5/5) Food came out very quickly, and service was good! Since the restaurant was very busy and had a wait from the moment we entered and left, this is definitely a restaurant you'd spend 1 - 1.5 hr max at with the high table turnover (so avoid if you want a quiet date night). Overall, Izakaya Mew has been a reliable staple for years and will likely continue to be with its great food quality and lively ambiance. (4.5/5)

    Photos
    Izakaya MEW - Dining area

    Dining area

    Izakaya MEW - Volcano Roll and Chikaten Roll

    Volcano Roll and Chikaten Roll

    Izakaya MEW - Scallop Uni Butter Skewer

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